Reviews - Zoos in Europe

During the second half of the nineteenth century the first menageries in Moscow were established as entertainment facilities. The first was founded in 1855 by two Frenchmen (names unknown), while the Kreuzberg family owned a private menagerie that opened its door to the public in 1862. Together these animal collections formed the heart of the Moscow Zoological Garden founded by the Society for Acclimatization of Plants and Animals, which was established by professors of the Moscow State University. The initial idea for such a zoological garden came in 1857, but it took the Society, including one of its founding fathers professor Anatoly P. Bogdanov, until 1863 to be able to buy property for the future zoo. The Zoo was opened to visitors on 13 February 1864 at the location where it still exists until this very day. On opening day 287 animals were on display, of which 134 were domestic animals, while the others were exotic specimens such as tigers, lions, jaguar, leopard and rhino.

In those days it was an unique experiment to create “a living museum outdoors,” as professor Bogdanov said, in such severe climatic conditions of central Russia. The primary purpose of the Zoological Garden according to the members of the Society was:

• to collect alive specimens of higher vertebrates ( firstly - the animals of Russian fauna) for scientific observations;

• to establish a collection of typical animals that could serve educational purposes, i.e. distribution of zoological knowledge among the wide public communities;

• to carry out scientific experiments and observations of important animals, especially domestic animals of Russian breeds.

The Zoo was financed by the entrance fees and private donations, including contributions by members of the imperial family. In the first years the annual number of visitors grew up to ten thousands. Nevertheless, the incomes did not cover the expenses and the Moscow City Council refused to give financial support. So, the Zoo went into private hands of the Ryabinins' family in 1874. They transformed the Zoo into an amusement park and in three years time ruined the place. In 1878 the Zoo was run by the Society for Acclimatization of Plants and Animals again, including fund raising activities. This time the Society was able to manage the Zoo successfully, and even to buy a number of animals. But in the turmoil of the Revolution of 1905 the Zoo was severely damaged: the buildings were ruined, the library was set on fire, many animals perished. So, for the second time the Society was forced to turn over the Zoo to private owners.

Then in 1914 World War I broke out. For the Zoo this meant that in the autumn of 1914 the only building that remain to this day was transformed from the director's premises to a hospital for wounded WWI soldiers. The WWI impact compounded Russia's suffering from a number of economic and social problems, which resulted first in the 1917 February revolution followed by the October revolution. In the aftermath of the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 and the fall of the Russian Empire, the Society ceased to exist, and in 1919 the Zoological Garden was declared national property and transferred under the responsibility of the ministry of Culture of the communist Moscow parliament, the Mossovet. In 1922 it was transferred to the authority of Moscow City Council and since then it has been supported by the City Authorities. Construction work began on the Zoo grounds. The Zoological Garden premises almost doubled in size with the establishment of the 'New' territory on the opposite side of Bolshaya Gruzinskaya street. New exhibits, which followed the principle of Carl Hagenbeck's bar-less enclosure design were established. One of the most interesting exhibits of the Zoo called 'Animal Island' still exists. It was a high stony rock surrounded by a deep water ditch that separated the visitors from bears, tigers, lions and other large predators on the 'Island'. The total size at the time was nearly 18 hectares.

In 1926 the Zoological Garden was renamed 'Zoological Park'. At that time the range of activities extended, the animal collection increased considerably with expeditions collecting wildlife in Central Asia, the Far East and the Caucasus. New departments were established, focussed on for instance scientific research, education, veterinary science and nutrition. In those same years Moscow Zoo was the first zoo in the world where educational activities were the main priority.

In 1924 the Zoo had established the Young Biologists Club that gathered like-minded young people that joined in real scientific research. Many of them became a Zoo employee. The Club was founded by Petr Manteifel, who also was the pioneer father of the science called 'zoo biology'. Manteifel and his young biologists discovered a way of artificial breeding sables (Martes zibellina), which were on the verge of extinction due to man's insatiable pursuit for its expensive fur. In the 1930s during Stalin's great purge many members of the Young Biologists Club were arrested accused of spreading anti-soviet propaganda and liberal-minded ideas and having contact with German colleagues at Berlin zoo, some were even executed as foreign spies. The Club was considered a non-governmental organisation beyond the direct control of the authorities, which in fact was partly true because the Club was a real democracy, with membership available to all.

Although many animals were evacuated and many of the zoo staff were called to arms at the beginning of World War II the Zoo was kept open. Of the 750 employees at autumn 1941 only 220 remained on the staff, most of them women. Getting enough food for the animals was a constant challenge, for instance carcasses of killed horse at the battlefield around Moscow were brought to the zoo. More than six million people visited the Zoo from 1941 to 1945 to enjoy the sights of animals that had remained.

At wartime the scientific work proceeded, perhaps even more intense than before or after the war. The scientific staff worked especially on development of antibiotics. But the most important mission of the Zoo during the war was to give people hope. It produced the illusion of a peaceful life until people survived through the desperation of the war with the Red Army soldiers as the most frequent visitors of the Zoo. Which were given the pleasure of watching newborn offspring even during the war.

During the soviet union period (1922-1991) not many highly ranked people cared about the zoo - no soviet leader had any interest in it. The city encroached on the zoo premises, while the zoo needed additional space for the ever expanding zoo population of animals. Because the breeding results were still excellent.

The Zoo lived up to the goal it had set for itself and made educational activities the main priority. Zoo staff distributed knowledge in the field of natural history and tried to raise the public awareness and concern about the necessity for wildlife conservation. The zoo assisted schoolchildren and students with studying biology, actively participated in scientific research, and actively contributed to scientific publications. So, the Zoo became one of the larger scientific institutions in Moscow. And of course it still was the favourite recreational place for Moscow citizens and those who visited the city.

As off 1974 when Igos Sosnovsky retired as director and his successor Vladimir Spitsyn took over Moscow Zoo became part of the international zoo community again. Sosnovsky as a WWII veteran hadn't been able to brush aside the fear of repression and avoided all international contacts for some reason. Spitsyn restored all international activities from before the war and the Zoo became member of many European and International Breeding Programmes in which it exchanged its rare and endangered animals, shared experience and information.

Although already in the 1970s improvement of all zoo facilities was needed and ideas of a new zoo in another region of Moscow were launched, nothing happened due to local economical and social problems. By the end of the 1980s the Zoo's condition became alarming. Facilities were deteriorating, enclosures were dilapidated and technical equipment needed to be replaced as well. And while a few improvements had been achieved - such as a partial renovation of the main entrance, the monkey house and lion house - urgent measures were still needed.

Then, in 1992 the new Moscow government made a decision to start the most ambitious reconstruction project in Moscow Zoo's history with the first stage of the project to be completed by 1997, when the 850th anniversary of the City would be celebrated. Anatoly A. Andreev who had been involved in the Zoo's design and architecture since the 1970s headed the team of architects. The project's renovation objectives were focussed at (a) preservation or partial renovation of the historically valuable buildings and existing pools, (b) reduction of the noise from the surrounding streets, (c) connection of the Old and the New territory via a footbridge, and (d) expansion of the Old territory by incorporating adjacent areas and buildings.

Besides the preservation and renovation of almost all important zoo constructions, including the ones that actually were dilapidated, many new enclosures and facilities were built. Already in 1993 the footbridge that connected the Old and New territory was completed. It allowed visitors to avoid crossing the busy B. Gruzinskaya street with its heavy traffic. In 1993 other constructions were completed as well, such as an enclosure for large birds of prey and a complex of enclosures for feline species, including leopards, Pallas' cats and lynx. Next, the Hagenbeck-style 'Animal Island', one of the most remarkable exhibits in the New territory, was renovated. The historic appearance with enclosures that resembled the natural habitats of Amur tiger, striped hyena, African wild dog and Asian black bear was preserved. Later they introduced Asian lions in one of the enclosures around the large rock in the centre of the 'island'. During the renovation they created the Exotarium, which held several aquariums, inside the rock on the second floor.

The following years many more enclosures were renovated, besides the new research and veterinarian facilities that were put into operation in 1994. In 1996, the main entrance itself (featuring a small artificial waterfall) was reconstructed. The same year the old, dilapidated elephant complex was demolished and a new elephant house was erected at the same spot, while the inhabitants (four African elephants and four Asian elephants) were temporarily moved to a a former tram depot that was completely renovated and specially equipped. A new children's zoo was opened in the New territory, including a children's theatre that organises shows with educational elements. And besides several aviaries, a pavilion for water birds was built on the shore of the large pond in the New territory.

Although in those days 4 additional hectares of space was added to the former existing 18 hectares, the Zoo still lacked space to create favourable conditions for their species to breed. And its location in the centre of Moscow didn't contribute to the favourable breeding conditions they wanted of course. Therefore, the 200 hectares area near the city of Volokolamsk (about 100 km from Moscow) that was given to the Zoo in 1996 for the establishment of a breeding station was very much welcomed (see also Breeding Centre).

The first major stage of the general reconstruction of the Moscow zoo represents a unique event. Not only over 50 facilities have been renovated (90% of all existing facilities) and newly built, but it was achieved in such a short period of time. But maintenance and small and larger refurbishment is ongoing business in a zoo. So, in 2002, the Moscow City Government and the City Council allocated the necessary funds to start construction of a new pavilion for the Asian elephants. In 2003 the three elephants could move house already, and in spring 2009, the first newborn elephant calf was welcomed.

The Moscow Zoological Park has come a long way from the small zoological garden it was to the large institution of scientific research, education, conservation and recreation it is today. And due to the dynamics of the standards used in the zoo community regarding animal health and welfare, Moscow Zoo is constantly improving its facilities, also during 2014 celebrating its 150th anniversary.

(Source: Moscow Zoo website; Zoo with a Human Face, to the 150th anniversary of the Moscow Zoo - a documentary by Darya Violina and Sergei Pavlovsky, 2014; Zoo and Aquarium History by Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., 2001; Wikipedia)

An account of 150 years of history of the Moscow Zoo

(A documentary by Darya Violina and Sergei Pavlovsky)

The history of Moscow Zoo shown through the perspective of the lives of the people who have been important to the Zoo's development and continuous progress over those many years since 1864. Thousands of photographs, hundreds of chronicles, accounts and recollections that have preserved the story that began so long ago, against all odds, and lasts uninterrupted to this day.
A documentary about those who have devoted their lives to serving a noble and rewarding cause, those who have started from scratch, those who maintained that work and about those who revive the Zoo as off today.

(Source: sdpavlovskiy YouTube channel)

Finally, Moscow Zoo is paid a visit. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. It has been on my to-do list since I learnt about the large collection of feline species on display at the Zoo. So, I am here on this sunny day in June to satisfy my curiosity, in the year they celebrate the Zoo's 150^th anniversary.

I am entering as one of the 1,5 million paying attendance yearly. Which is not even half of the total number of visitors a year. This is about 4 million, because there are specific categories (e.g. disabled, pensioners, children, students, etc.) for whom the admission is free.

OLD TERRITORY

There are four entrances (two at both parts of the Zoo, the 'Old' and 'New' territory) and an extra three exits. I take the main entrance with the impressive arch and tower that guides you in the Old territory. Enormous refurbishment is ongoing at the main entrance, but more importantly also right after the entrance. The gigantic pond, or should I say lake, is being renovated. The artificial islands made of concrete have trees and nest boxes especially for small waterfowl. The pond must be at least 2 hectares in size.

I turn left after the main entrance to visit the large predator section of the Old territory. Not that only here you will find predators, but the greatest part of their predator collection is grouped in this section. I will come back to the grouping of Moscow Zoo's animal collection later. After having walked along a fence that blocks most of the views on the work in progress at the lake I arrive at what they call here the 'tropical cats' section: Bengal tiger (unfortunately the genetically aberrant version - a white tiger), jaguar and cheetah. Both the tiger and the jaguar have their indoor enclosures in the same house built at the perimeter of the premises. The cheetahs have their shelter for the night and bad weather in their outdoor paddock, so that cannot be visited. The tiger and the jaguar however have interesting housing that serves the needs for both the cats and the visitors. The latter are pleased with Asian and South American (Inca) ornaments to make sure they understand the geographical origin of the species. While the walls have murals representing the species' original habitat … Machu Pichu for the jaguar. The animals themselves have various enrichment features at their disposal, including high level observation posts, in rather small exhibits. The outdoor facilities for these two species are accessible from the indoors. It has natural vegetation, but not a lot. Likewise there are not a lot of options to shelter from extreme weather or loud crowds. Although the cats have access to several resting posts at different levels, these enclosures can do with some improvements - at least more vegetation - to make them better fit for purpose, in my opinion. The enormous exposure of the cats is also due to the fact that they use windows to separate animal from man along almost the total length of the enclosures.

Opposite from the jaguar and tiger, as already mentioned, is the third 'tropical cat' species - the cheetah. The two specimens have two open-top outdoor enclosures at their disposal. The larger paddock has trees that provide shade, but there is no way that the cats can hide whatsoever except in their night shelter. Furthermore they lack enrichment features, perhaps that's the reason they are so fat. Combined with the fact that the enclosures are way too small for these animals to exercise, that must have made them fat I think. Nevertheless, the most surprising thing here is the possibilities for close encounters with the cheetahs. Encounters that can lead to injuries when only the wire mesh fence separates man from cheetah.

When I walk the few steps to the entrance of the Bear House, which is like the jaguar and tiger indoor enclosure built at the edge of the Zoo grounds, I pass in between the Pallas' cat exhibit and a second jaguar exhibit. The Pallas' cat has a flat grassy area with three large trees, some shrubs and a potential pond (when filled with water) available in its outdoor enclosure. Windows all around and a wire mesh roof prevent the cat from fleeing this scenery that doesn't resemble the cat's original Himalyan habitat. Across the footpath there's a jaguar enclosure that's more interesting than the one directly neighbouring the tiger. This one has a small stream and loads of vegetation and a multilevel resting platform. Still the animal is quite exposed.

The Bear House provides a nice and secluded area where three adjacent bear enclosures houses sloth bear and spectacled bear. As a visitor you walk via a roofed corridor more or less in the dark along the enclosures having good views on the exhibit via man-sized windows. The enclosures have a dry shallow moat at the visitor's side, but I don't think this withhold the bears from coming close to the windows. The enclosures are small but almost completely filled with enrichment features including various platforms, a tree trunk structure, rubber hammocks and natural vegetation. Considering the design I think these enclosures offer peace and quiet for the bears, unless people start banging the windows of course.

What follows next is a row of enclosures for carnivorous mammals of which a few give you an idea of the historic looks of the Zoo. Small cage-like constructions with a concrete rear wall and wire mesh fences at the front, but with a high level platform as part of the rear wall. Absolutely no shelter from the inquisitive visitors is provided - visitors that come in large numbers. Although the 1,5 million paying visitors yearly are good for the revenues, it results in crowds in front of the predator cages.
Nowadays the cats, such as bobcat and lynx, are not confined to only one cage, but have access to several cages which have been joined together.

In slightly larger enclosures they keep Amur leopard, snow leopard and cougar (Puma concolor). At all of these felid species enclosures the distance between the public barrier and the fence does allow contact when people lean far forward.

Further along the footpath around the corner the arctic fox and the dhole are housed in enclosures that have a similar interior design as those for the felids. Despite the fact that these species live under different natural circumstances in the wild (forest and tundra habitat respectively).

When I walk back to have a look at the large birds of prey aviary I cannot prevent myself to have a brief look at the giraffe enclosure as well. It's obviously a relic of the past that is not fit for purpose anymore. Still they have one reticulated giraffe on display at a saddening small area. It loves to be fed by the public that doesn't care about the warning not to feed the animals. On the other side of the building a similar pitiful situation for the single white-tailed gnu can be seen.

The birds of prey aviary however is large enough to allow the birds to stretch their wings and fly around a bit. The Steller's sea eagle, which was bred for the first time in captivity at Moscow Zoo, shares the aviary with bald eagle and white-tailed eagle. The Andean condor is kept in a separate aviary.

One of the most extraordinary group of species brought together on display can be found right after the row of predator enclosures. The maned wolf from South America has the red-necked wallaby and emu from Australia as neighbour. But also in the same area the African wild dog is on display as well as white-tailed gnu (Africa) and kiang (Asia) in the row of stables along the rim of the premises.

Refurbishment activities
I can imagine that refurbishment is necessary, but having a lorry blocking the view on an enclosure (in this case the African wild dog enclosure) is something I've experienced in no other zoo with ongoing renovation activities. There's really a lot of work in progress, and absolutely necessary considering the state of disrepair of many enclosures. Nonetheless I do like the Zoo's matter of fact approach considering all the work in progress. It has to be done and they don't want to close parts of the Zoo when the only thing the visitor has to do is to take care and not sue the Zoo when there's an accident . Watch your step when they work on the pavement!

The raccoon exhibit is worth mentioning considering the aforementioned accident risks. It has a very typical enclosure design with electrical wire on top of windows surrounding the entire exhibit. The electrical wire is within reach of the public. So, there are numerous warning signs! But why they installed electrical wire on top of windows that are unclimbable for raccoons? To keep out the public perhaps?

Then I pass the dolphinarium which is not brand new to put it mildly. An additional fee complies to watch the show of the marine mammals, but as you probably know circus performances by zoo animals are not my kind of thing.

In the bird house, in the far end corner from the main entrance, birds from all geographical regions are grouped together, including Humboldt penguin and African penguin. The house consists of two part with one part half empty, and has also very common species on display, such as wild turkey, common pheasant and European hedgehog. Outside this building several aviaries comprise a large array of parrot species (South America and Australia).

Proceeding with my tour around the Old territory I have a look at the Asian elephant house and its surrounding grounds. The fancy steel with blue details of the elephant house doesn't appeal to me, but that is just a matter of taste. It is definitely the most modern exhibit in the Zoo I've seen yet, in style and in size, with a nice pool at the visitor's side.

I skip the reptile house to save some time, and money too, because an additional fee complies. So I walk straight to another modern enclosure - the bar-less and moated wolf exhibit. Although it has a Hagenbeck-style design, the space available for the wolves is ridiculously small. The wolves will never be able to cross the water-filled moat and climb the wall and thus break out, still there is impressive electrical wiring in place on top of the wall. Again, probably to keep out the public.

Making my way to the footbridge that connects the Old and New territory I pass along a very old-fashioned row of enclosures built in a semicircle in front of the 16 metres high sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli called 'Tree of Fairy Tales', 1996. The enclosures house several species of mustelidae (sable, European polecat, stone marten), as well as African wild cats. Then followed by several aviaries again. At this point I am really lost regarding the way they group the Zoo's animal collection.

NEW TERRITORY

After crossing B. Gruzinskaya street and before going down the stairs you have a good view on the large pond at the beginning of this part of the Zoo. When I walk along the edge of the pond I see how many species of the family of Anatidae (ducks, swans and geese) share this exhibit. Unfortunately all are pinioned I assume. Strange as it seems they need prohibition signs to make clear to the visitor that it is forbidden to go swimming in the pond. At the very end of this large pond you will find a large artificial rock with two enclosures that fit both the mountain-dwelling ungulates that are kept here, the East Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica cylindricornis) and the markhor (Capra falconeri). The large herd of markhor is obviously breeding well, because several lambs are exploring the exhibit.

Proceeding clockwise I find the doors of the Tropical House closed for renovation. So, no butterflies for me this time. But in one of the two spacious aviaries around this house I discover several ducks, such as the mandarin duck and the black-bellied whistling duck, together with the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), though neither rare nor endangered.

Then a rather special exhibit appears, the Animal Island, which was developed in the 1920s as one of the first Hagenbeck-style enclosures in the New territory. Although it took some renovation activities it still exists to this very day. In the centre of this moated area they have erected a fake ruined fortress, which serves as the background for the species in the surrounding exhibits. These bar-less exhibits have a more modern appearance but it isn't necessarily an improvement for the animals. For instance the Asian black bear has a bare environment with minor enrichment available and no vegetation, but the brown bear is even worse off in a similar enclosure but next to nothing of enrichment features. The tundra wolf (Canis lupus alba) and the striped hyena have a little better place at their disposal, but the Asian lions have by far the best enclosure. They have several resting platforms, trees and a stream that ends in the moat. Again to save time I skip an exhibit. This time the Exotarium with its aquariums that has been created inside the ruined fortress and by the way requires an additional fee to get in.

One of the rare areas in Moscow Zoo where you find mixed-species exhibits is called 'Fauna of the Savannah'. It has a South American section with capybara vicuna and guanaco, and - very importantly - a large pool at the disposal of the largest rodent on earth. Though absolutely not endangered, these water-loving capybaras should have access to water at all times, in my opinion. The real savannah area with African species has several enclosures. A mixed species exhibit with sable antelope and dikdik. And Grevy's zebra together with ostrich and giraffe. Also this time there's only one giraffe in the paddock. The location of the meerkat enclosure is well chosen, because when they sit on top of one of their hills they can watch the other animals. Although it is the largest and probably the most modern facility at the Moscow Zoo I still think it is disappointingly mediocre compared to other zoos I have seen in Europe and North America.

Before I go to the primate section I buy myself an ice cream and walk along the horse stables on the eastern edge of the New territory premises. Looking for an answer to the question “why are there horse stables at this place?” The question still waits for an answer.

The first enclosure of the primate section promises lemurs. At least these primate species only to be found on the island of Madagascar are mentioned on the information panels. Nevertheless, I have not seen them in the house dedicated to them. There's a futuristic hollow sphere for the red-ruffed lemurs as an outdoors enclosure, but I don't see them in there either.

At Moscow Zoo they keep both Sumatran as Bornean orangutans, which is quite unusual. The outdoors for the five individuals, including 2 young, of the Sumatran species looks impressive due to the enormously high rock face at the rear. The wall looks extra impressive because it is rather close to the viewing windows. Unfortunately, the exhibit lacks trees and vegetation other than grass while the enrichment is scant and I don't see puzzle feeders. The Bornean orangutans have a similar outdoor enclosure, but it is suggested that olive baboons (Papio anubis) are on display here as well. It could be that they alternate in the same outdoor enclosure, but this is not very clear.

The western lowland gorillas also have a similar outdoor enclosure design due to which the animals are enormously exposed to the inquisitive public. Considering the number of youngsters Moscow Zoo appears to be having good results breeding orangutans and gorillas.

Indoors, all the great ape exhibits have much enrichment and jungle-like murals, but the agile gibbon has even more enrichment inside. I haven't seen a specific outdoor enclosure for the agile gibbon but it could be possible that it alternates with the Sumatran orangutans. Only this enclosure lacks high trees or other options for the gibbon to brachiate, which is its natural behaviour in the canopy of the gibbon's native habitat, the rainforests of southeast Asia.

The Primate House has apes on one side and monkeys, such as the Diana monkey, lion-tailed macaque, mandrill, weeper capuchin (Cebus nigrivittatus or olivaceus) and black-and-white Colobus (Colobus guereza) on the other side. Their outdoor exhibits are old-fashioned, small but high though. On this side of the Primate House the Zoo also keeps small South American monkeys such as the tamarins etcetera. These small monkeys have well-enriched indoor enclosures including vegetation, but no outdoors. Some also have Inca ornaments. Downstairs they have a nocturnal section with slow loris and bushbabies.

The terrarium building, located behind the Primate House, is beautifully decorated with little mosaic tiles. They have the usual row of exhibits, but in this case especially the larger reptiles and tortoises (python, crocodiles, alligator, tortoise) are kept. And outside they have two giant tortoise species, the Aldabra and the Galapagos tortoise.

On my return to the exit I pass the exhibits of a few of the many predator species they have on display at Moscow Zoo. The polar bear is provided with a big heap of artificial ice, but that's about it when it comes to enrichment, though there are some plastic drums to play with. The enclosure as such is the prototype of polar bear enclosures worldwide, rear wall of cement and large bricks, concrete floor, large and deep water-filled moat. Unfortunately, again here the annoying reflecting windows. The yellow-throated marten I do not see, and the same counts for the Eurasian otter in its large elongated outdoor exhibit with a shallow pool along the whole length. It must be great to see the submerged otters swim in this pool.

Conclusion
There are several ways to group a collection of animals which can support a zoo's educational efforts. Of course, some people just come to the zoo to be entertained, but when an individual is ready to learn some things the worst thing you can do is confuse him or her. And to be fairly honest, confusing it is. Sometimes they group the collection according their taxonomic tree, which is the case with the felids, the bird species and the primates. Then again they have decided to present the collection by geographical origin, like in the 'Fauna of the Savannah', or according original habitat like the mountain-dwelling tur and markhor. And at some point they just make a mess of the grouping, for instance in the area with the maned wolf, the red-necked wallaby and others. In the end it seems the Zoo just want to have on display as many species as possible, because all species that live in herds they keep them in small numbers. I do understand that it is not easy, requires tough decisions and certainly is not cheap to rearrange your entire collection, especially when it is that huge as it is here at Moscow Zoo. Anyway, further renovation is foreseen and probably some rethinking as well.

I hope that they get rid of all these windows they have at so many exhibits. For some situations it is inevitable I understand, but I sincerely hope they will return to the original Hagenbeck idea of bar-less enclosures, taking into account modern husbandry standards of course. As the position of the sun makes it sometimes hard to get even the slightest glimpse of the animals due to the reflections in the windows. And last but not least they have the tendency to have windows all around or at more than 50 percent of the perimeter of an enclosure. Most of the time leading to more exposure of the animals to the public and possible unrest.

Breeding Farm

The Moscow Zoo has always been trying to create the most favourable conditions for their animals to fulfil their basic needs. Not only for animal health and welfare purposes but also to breed the animals successfully. These specific breeding conditions could not be achieved due to its location in the City centre and the lack of space. In 1996 the Zoo came into possession of an area of 200 hectares near the city of Volokolamsk (about 100 km from Moscow). In this picturesque hilly area of the former quarries of the Sychovo mining factory, with streams, springs and artificial ponds better opportunities were available for breeding various - predominantly rare - species of animals.

The main goals of the Breeding Centre, besides maintaining rare and endangered species of animals, are establishing breeding pairs and groups and developing new husbandry methods. Since excessive disturbance is likely to have adverse effect on the breeding efforts, the actual Breeding Centre is not open to the public.

The construction of the Breeding Centre started in March 1996. The first inhabitants of the Centre were birds of prey and waterfowl and they have been successfully breeding birds ever since. The collection of waterfowl has grown notably since the beginning. Apart from the numerous mallards and ruddy shelducks, the inhabitants of the ponds include pintails, pochards, tufted ducks and black geese of the genus Branta. Bewick's swans are thriving, raising their chicks every year. Japanese, white-naped and Siberian cranes are also breeding successfully and many other species, including parrots. The breeding centre for birds of prey is continuously expanding, with Himalayan griffon vultures, golden eagles, imperial eagles, Steller's sea eagles, and black vultures among its most prominent inhabitants. Regular breeding has also been achieved in saker falcons (Falco cherrug).

They keep carnivorous mammals as well at the Breeding Centre. These include endangered species such as Amur leopard, Pallas' cat, cheetah, Amur tiger, dhole, wolverine, and yellow-throated marten. Of these species the Amur leopard is listed Critically Endangered according the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, with about 45 individuals left in the wild. The Zoo's track record says they have produced offspring from Pallas' cat, dhole, yellow-throated marten, and Amur tiger.

For the ungulates that are kept at the Centre the environment is almost ideal. There are bactrian camels as well as kiangs, Saiga antelopes, blue sheep and vicunas. Hoofed animals originating from mountainous areas have large paddocks at their disposal that are situated on the slopes of the surrounding hills, more or less similar to their natural habitat.

Besides the more rare and endangered species the Centre also has an interesting collection of domestic hens, a horse stable and a dog-breeding centre, mainly for the breeding of Central Asian sheep dogs. Furthermore, there is a small quail farm and a poultry farm with layer hens.

Moreover a subsidiary farm in Lotoshino houses some cattle, smaller livestock, and the main herd of bactrian camels and yaks. The area of the subsidiary farm is about 51 hectares and it comprises hayfields, pastures, a sheepfold and an apiary. Most importantly it provides the Moscow Zoo with ecological feed for its animals.

The Breeding Centre's collection comprises 10 species of carnivores, 6 species of ungulates, 74 species of birds and a great number of domestic animals, but the collection is expanding constantly. Although it is still closed to visitors, the Zoo's goal is to open part of the farm (as they call the Breeding Centre themselves) to outside visitors soon. They plan to create an additional safari park at the location of the Breeding Centre.

(Source: Moscow Zoo website; Zoo with a Human Face, to the 150th anniversary of the Moscow Zoo - a documentary by Darya Violina and Sergei Pavlovsky, 2014)

Information panels and Education at the Zoo

First thing to be noticed of course is that the information on the panels around Moscow Zoo is given in the Russian language. And no other language. This is not unexpected as most of the information provided in Moscow is only in Russian. Fortunately, the name of the species on display is given in English as well, together with its scientific name. As far as I can tell and understand no information is provided on the species conservation status (or IUCN Red List status). On the new revamped website this information is available but only in Russian and no icons or logos are used, so you have to rely on machine translation services.
The panels show geographic maps of the species distribution and sometimes the IUCN status and if the species is part of EEP/ESB, as well. But this is not done consistently, and I am not sure how reliable the information is. Nevertheless I have been able to find on the internet a list of species that represent the Moscow Zoo contribution to the EAZA Ex situ Programmes (EEPs).

The educational information provided via the panels at the enclosures not only supplies species specific information but there are also overviews of the taxonomic tree available of the species in a particular section. For instance an taxonomic or evolutionary tree of felids.

There is also a zoo school that is primarily focussed on children, and I assume that the Young Biologists Club still exist. Foremost because it has been very successfully delivering a range of important staff members over the years.

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

directions to Moscow Zoo

Moscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia with 12.2 million residents within the city limits and 16.8 million within the urban area. In other words it is a really large city. For the fastest and easiest way to get around I recommend using public transport. It's never fun to get lost in an unfamiliar large city with an unfamiliar rental car .

Address:
B. Gruzinskaya 1
123242
Moscow
Russia

public transport

by metro

The metro system can be quite intimidating for foreigners because of the language issue, but I can assure you it is the best way of navigating the city. The metro stations are the most beautiful I've ever seen and buying tickets can be done using sign language (see the tripadvisor website how it is done). When you are not able to decipher the Cyrillic alphabet on the fly it is best to prepare your metro trip beforehand and make sure that you know how many stops you have to travel from the departure station to your destination, including transfer stations. Another way of travel support is the Art-Lebedev metro map, which has the names of the stations both in Russian and English mentioned. The most fancy way however is by using the Russian metro app on your smartphone. The Yandex.Metro app - provides a bilingual metro map which can even build connection routes for you and estimate travel times.

Moscow Zoo's main entrance is conveniently located right across from the Krasnopresnenskaya metro station on the Brown Circular line (no. 5). Also the Barrikadnaya metro station is rather close to the main entrance, Purple line (no. 7).

by bicycle

As mentioned already Moscow is a very large city. So, it really depends on how close you already are to the Zoo if cycling could be an option. The obvious challenge is the traffic which has grown dramatically in recent years - the centre of Moscow is a non-stop traffic jam. Furthermore the poor driving habits of Moscow motorists are notorious, from road rage to rear-ending. In addition, knee-deep snow and the grimy slush that inevitably follows during the long and fearsome winters doesn't make cycling in Moscow a very attractive mode of transport. Nevertheless the City Council tries to make the city more bike-friendly with a bike rental scheme like in many major cities around the world. I decided to use the metro.

by car

There is no dedicated parking available at the Zoo, but if you really want to drive yourself you can get directions below by providing your point of departure.

Download the zoo map here.